Ahsoka Tano walked up to the door of her good friend, Barris Offee. She knocked twice.
"Hey Barris!" she called out. "Are you ready to go start training?"
Barris' door opened, and she appeared.
"Yes, I am," Barris replied. "Just let me go and put away my secret box."
"Secret box?" Ahsoka asked. You never told me about your," She tried to peek inside. "Secret box."
When Barris saw Ahsoka trying to peek inside the box, she quickly closed it and pulled it away from her friend.
"Hey! Hands off, peepin' girl! This here's my secret box!" Barris exclaimed. "Besides, if I told you what was inside, it wouldn't be a secret anymore!"
Barris turned around and looked inside her box. Ahsoka tried to peer over her shoulder and see inside. Barris giggled slightly, and closed it before Ahsoka could see what was in the box.
"Oh, Ahsoka," said Barris. "If only you could see inside my secret box. It would CHANGE YOUR LIFE."
Ahsoka tried once again to look inside, but this time Barris caught her in the act, closed the box and walked a few steps forward into her home. Ahsoka followed Barris inside in desperation.
"It's okay, Barris," Ahsoka told her. "I know all about secrets."
"You do?"
"Are you kidding me? I got a million secrets!"
"Like what?"
"Well," Ahsoka replied. "It's no secret that the best part of secrets are secretly telling someone all your secrets, therefore secretly adding a bunch of new secrets to their already secretly overflowing collection of secrets. Anakin secretly told me that secret."
Barris looked confused.
"You wanna hear more of my secrets?" Ahsoka asked.
"Oh yes!" Barris replied excitedly.
Ahsoka tried to come up with something to tell Barris that wouldn't embarrass herself. She thought of something, and leaned in close to Barris to tell her:
"Did you know you're my best friend?" She leaned back again, leaving Barris shocked.
"NO...WAY," Barris said. "Oh, let's hear another one!"
"Okay, um...let's see..." she leaned in toward Barris again. "In secret, I'm a little rebellious."
"Wow. I'll never look at you the same way again, Ahsoka," said Barris. "Gosh."
Ahsoka geared up for another try at getting Barris to show her what was in the box. She cleared her throat and tapped on the box, but Barris wasn't going to give in that easily. She decided to distract Ahsoka in the hopes that she would forget about it.
"Please, tell me more of your secrets!" Barris pleaded.
"Okay..." Ahsoka thought for a moment, then started to speak: "I love Anakin like a father, I sleep with my clothes on, I'm from the planet Shili, red is my favorite color, I've killed a possessed Jedi before..." Ahsoka spilled out secrets for 10 more minutes.
"I hope to find love someday, I used Master Kenobi's lightsaber to unclog my toilet, I hang out with Senator Amidala every weekend, and I have a little toy Huttlet named Mr. Stuffybuns. I'm a little on the short side, but hope to be taller someday. AND I'M WEARING THREE PAIRS OF LEGGINGS RIGHT NOW UNDER MY SKIRT!" Ahsoka pulled up the top of a red pair, pink pair, and the light purple pair of leggings from under her skirt.
By now, Barris was lying on the couch, still holding her box. She lay staring up a the ceiling as she listened to Ahsoka.
"Well," said Barris. "I never would have guessed."
Barris stood and Ahsoka rushed over to her.
"NOW, will you show me what's inside your secret box!?" Ahsoka pleaded.
"No, Ahsoka!" Barris snapped. "It's for me to know, and for you or anybody to never find out! You may be an open book, Ahsoka, but I'm a bit more complicated than that. The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma."
Barris thought of a ball bouncing up and down.
"Oh yeah?!" Ahsoka yelled. "Well, I got plenty of secret stuff, too!" She looked herself up and down. "I've got my secret top on!" Ahsoka ran off to get something and came back a few seconds later.
"And my secret lightsaber!" She dropped it on the ground, ran off again, and came back with a huge contraption.
"My secret holographic TV! And my secret holographic TV channel!" She said as she turned it on and turned the knob to change the channel until it was filled with static and buzzing sounds.
"What do you think of me now, Barris?" Ahsoka said. "Barris?" Barris was gone.
Ahsoka followed the sound of giggling further into the house. She found Barris lying on her bed, giggling. She opened her box and started laughing hysterically. Ahsoka walked over to her friend.
"Maybe if you knew what was inside, you'd know why it has to be secret," Barris said when she finally calmed down. She held her box out to Ahsoka.
"Inside this box is the most secretive secret in all of secret history!" Barris exclaimed. "It's a heavy burden, Ahsoka..." Ahsoka tried to peek inside the box,"...but nobody must know the secret of the box," Barris slammed the lid of the box shut when she saw Ahsoka looking inside the box.
"NOBODY!" Barris shouted. "Not even... Rex and Cody."
Both Padawans looked to at the window to see clones Captain Rex and Commander Cody staring inside to see what was in the box. Once they were caught, Rex and Cody whistled and wandered away, pretending that nothing had happened. Ahsoka and Barris looked confused as they disappeared.
"It's like a full-time job," said Barris. "I'm constantly on the alert," Barris looked around. "You never know when someone's going to-" Barris gasped. Her secret box was gone!
Ahsoka ran through Barris' house, carrying the box under her left arm. She was quickly stopped by Barris, who stood in the doorway of the house.
"Ahsoka, what are you doing!?" Barris yelled angrily. "That's my secret box! Now hand it over!" Barris grabbed the box, but Ahsoka was still holding on.
"But Barris!" Ahsoka yelled, pulling the box closer to herself. "I MUST know the secret!"
"For the last time, Ahsoka," Barris yelled. "NO!" She tried to pull the box away from Ahsoka.
"Come on! Just a peek!" Ahsoka tried to pull the box away from Barris again.
Barris pulled the box toward herself again. "NEVER!" she screamed.
Then both of them pulled on the box, each trying to get it for themselves. Then, something happened. Ahsoka's gloves came off still holding the box. Ahsoka gasped.
Barris stared at the box in her hands and glared. "So, it's come to this," Barris growled. She pulled one of Ahsoka's gloves off of the box and pointed it at her.
"Listen up, Ahsoka SecretStealer Tano!" Barris yelled. "If you ever..." Barris touched Ahsoka's nose with the glove, "come near my..." She touched Ahsoka's nose again, "secret box again..." Barris held the glove up to the ceiling like a torch, "WE WON'T BE FRIENDS ANYMORE!"
"But, we're supposed to be..." Ahsoka's eyes filled with tears, as she sat up. "Friends forever."
Ahsoka began to think back to all the adventures she and Barris had had together. The factory and battle on Geonosis. Being buried underground together, just waiting for the rescue team. Fighting the Geonosian parasites that invaded the clones' brains that were on the ship with them.
Ahsoka began to sob at the thoughts of these memories, and losing her friendship with the person who helped create them.
"I feel so dirty," Ahsoka said through tears. "I have destroyed our friendship! I just couldn't help myself! Ahsoka stood and put her hand on Barris' shoulder. "I know it's your secret, and I promise to respect that! Oh please forgive me, Barris! Please!"
"Well, alright," Barris said. "I guess it's not all your fault. After all, this is a really great secret."
Barris held the box in front of Ahsoka's face, then drew it back letting Ahsoka's gaze follow. She did this two more times, and as she did, she said:
"The most amazing...mysterious...POWERFUL secret in all of the galaxy!" The last time Ahsoka followed the box, she checked to see if Barris was looking at her. She wasn't. She was admiring her box. Still, Ahsoka pretended like she had done nothing.
Just then, Ahsoka's communicator sounded. "Ahsoka! Are you there? Come in, Ahsoka!" Her Master's voice said on the other side of the intercom.
"Yes, Master. I'm here," Ahsoka replied.
"Where are you guys? You're twenty minutes late!" Anakin yelled at them.
"Oh sorry!" Ahsoka said.
"That's alright, Snips. Just don't do it again," Anakin replied.
"Alright," said Ahsoka. "We'll be right over."
With that, Ahsoka ended the call.
"So, what do you say, Barris?" Ahsoka said. "Friends?"
"Friends," Barris agreed.
They shook hands, and ran off to the Jedi Temple as fast as they could.
That night, Ahsoka lay awake in bed, thinking out loud.
"What could be in that box that Barris doesn't want me to see?" Ahsoka asked herself. She hadn't been able to get Barris' secret box out of her head all day.
"Maybe it's the galaxy's only golden lightsaber! Maybe Barris is a master bounty hunter and it's full of jewels and money!"
Ahsoka sat up. "Or maybe Barris is a crazy murderer who keeps her victims' severed limbs in a box!"
Ahsoka gasped and pulled the covers close.
"Or, even worse! What if it's an embarrassing snapshot of me from the Life Day Party!"
Ahsoka muffled a scream in her covers.
She sprang out of bed and ran to the window. "I've GOTTA find out what's in that secret box! I'm not gonna sleep 'till I do!" Ahsoka said desperately. She began to breathe heavily. Suddenly, an idea began to form in her head, and she began to calm down.
"How do you look inside a secret box? Secretly, of course!" Ahsoka said.
"I'll just take the box while Barris is asleep, look inside, and before Barris even has time to notice, I'll slide it back!" Ahsoka decided. "Barris won't know, and I'll have my own little secret! Good idea, eh, Mr. Stuffybuns?"
Ahsoka imagined up a response for her toy Huttlet, since he couldn't really talk.
"NO," it said.
"Oh, what do you know? You're a toy!" Ahsoka said, as she threw the stuffed animal onto the bed.
Ahsoka got ready quick and then grabbed a few things before leaving her house; her lightsaber, a pair of gloves, and a black ski mask. She then proceeded to walk out of her home and onto the crowded streets of Coruscant.
She walked over to Barris' house without too much trouble. Since Coruscant was usually very noisy, loud and crowded, it was easy for one to sneak around undetected.
When Ahsoka reached Barris' window, she put her lightsaber around her waist, slipped on the gloves, and put the ski mask on over her head. Then she slipped in through the window and snuck into Barris' room.
Barris slept peacefully in her bed, her lightsaber and secret box perched on her nightstand beside her bed. Ahsoka tried to be quiet but when she tried to step, it made a loud noise and Barris flinched.
Ahsoka, who had lifted up her foot after the commotion, gently placed it back on the ground. But as she did this, it made another loud noise, and her foot again ended up in the air. Barris flinched again.
"Seeee-cret..." Barris said in her sleep.
I gotta be more quiet! I don't wanna wake Barris up, Ahsoka thought.
Ahsoka put her foot down on the ground again, and it made another loud noise, this one louder than the others.
"Who's-" Barris said in her sleep.
This time, Ahsoka kept her foot on the ground, and bent down to shush it. She trembled as she took her next step forward. Yet another loud noise sounded.
"WHO'S-" Barris shouted. Her eyes were open. Ahsoka was drenched in sweat and bracing herself for the worst. "WHO'S THERE!" Barris shouted. Then, almost as if it had never happened, Barris fell back asleep again. Or had she been asleep this whole time?
Ahsoka didn't know, and she didn't have time to wonder. She had to find out what was inside Barris' box. So she tiptoed two more steps, each noise louder than the last. She quickly glanced up to see if Barris was still asleep. She was.
Finally, Ahsoka couldn't take it anymore. It was now or never. She took a giant step, and the loudest noise yet sounded. Ahsoka cringed in fear, yet even still, Barris did not wake up.
By this point, Ahsoka was close enough to reach over to the other side of Barris' bed, take the secret box from the nightstand, and peek inside. So she attempted to do just that, but Barris quickly rolled over, grabbed the box and pulled it close to her chest.
Well, my job just got a lot harder, Ahsoka thought. She bent down and slid into Barris' arms and grabbed the box. Barris now held Ahsoka's upper arms, not realizing it was her friend and not her box.
"Good old secret box," Barris mumbled in her sleep. "Let's see what's inside you."
Suddenly, Barris grabbed Ahsoka's tongue and pulled in it hard. It was all Ahsoka could do not to scream out in pain. Barris slightly giggled and placed Ahsoka next to her on the bed, with Ahsoka still holding the box. "Nighty-night, little box," Barris mumbled, then rolled over to face the opposite side of the room.
Ahsoka smiled. She was almost done! She quietly stood up. But just as she was about to walk to the corner of the room to finally look inside the box...she tripped on her shoelace, dropped the box, and went flying across the room! She bounced all around, making many more loud noises with every surface she hit, until finally she hit her head against the wall and dropped to the ground.
Ahsoka quickly looked around for the box. She looked up and saw the box falling towards her. Ahsoka couldn't catch it in time. It fell onto her knees with the loudest of the noises she had heard all night.
Ahsoka closed her eyes and braced herself for the worse. But when nothing happened, Ahsoka opened one eye with caution. She was awestruck. Barris was still asleep! Ahsoka wondered how Barris had slept through all that.
"Gee, Barris sure is a heavy sleeper," Ahsoka said quietly, as she scratched her head in confusion.
Suddenly, Barris woke up!
"WHO SAID THAT!? WHO'S THERE!?" Barris yelled.
"Uh..."
"It's a bounty hunter! And they're stealing my secret box!" Barris shouted.
Barris approached Ahsoka, lightsaber in hand. "Hand over the box, you fiendish being!" Barris shouted. "And prepare for the most unpleasant fight of your life!" With this, Barris pointed the green tip of her lightsaber toward Ahsoka's throat.
"Wait, Barris!" Ahsoka shouted as she pulled off her gloves and ski mask. "It's me, Ahsoka!"
Barris wasn't convinced. "Nice try, you bitter scumbag, but Ahsoka is one of my closest friends, and she would never even attempt to steal from me!"
"No, really Barris!" Ahsoka said. "
Barris gasped. Ahsoka had pulled out a token of their friendship they had made while they were at the medical dock resting up.
It was a small token, slightly rusty around the edges, with an orange circle and some white and blue strings to represent Ahsoka, and a green oval with some black around the edges to represent Barris. But what really got Barris and made her hurt the most was the message Ahsoka had engraved on the back with a needle. It said, "Ahsoka and Barris Friends Forever."
"Our friendship token! It IS you!" Barris began to cry. "How could you do this!?" Barris was sobbing now.
Ahsoka put the friendship token away, and tried to comfort Barris by replying, "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't look inside."
The next look Barris wore on her face was a mix between sadness and anger. She threw her lightsaber on the bed and snatched the box away from Ahsoka.
"That's it, Ahsoka! You have crossed the line!" Barris shouted, turning away from her friend. "This friendship is OVER!"
Ahsoka sniffed. "Really?"
Suddenly, Barris began to feel bad. She had denied Ahsoka access to her box, and she didn't want their friendship to end like this. In that moment, Barris made an important decision. She turned to face Ahsoka, held the box out in front of her, and said:
"No, you can look inside if you really want to."
"Okay!" said Ahsoka. "This is one of the most exciting moments of my life! Well, here it goes!" Ahsoka tore off the lid of the box.
What she saw inside made her smile of excitement turn into a look of confusion. Only a single short white string lay inside the box.
"Well, did I not tell you?" Barris said excitedly. "Isn't it great?"
"It's just a string," Ahsoka stated.
"A SECRET string," Barris said.
"Boy, when you're right, you're right! That sure is one heck of a secret box you got there," Ahsoka said, pretending to be impressed. "Thanks for showing me that!" She gently placed the lid over the box and yawned.
"Well, good night, Barris!" Ahsoka said as she headed toward the window she had snuck in through. "Good night, Ahsoka! Pleasant dreams," Barris replied. When Ahsoka crawled back through the window, she stopped for a second and said to herself:
"I should've known! It was just a piece of string all along!" Ahsoka chuckled slightly. "Wait till I tell Mr. Stuffybuns!" With that, she walked back toward her home to get a good night's sleep.
Back in her room, Barris waited until Ahsoka was out of sight and out of earshot, before she began to giggle uncontrollably.
"Good thing she didn't pull the secret string, opening the secret compartment of my box..." Barris said, as she pulled the string in the box, opening a small door. She then took out what appeared to be a photograph.
"Revealing an embarrassing snapshot of Ahsoka at the Life Day Party!"
Barris now laughed uncontrollably and loudly. "Happy Life Day, Ahsoka!" Barris yelled, still laughing.
She laughed for about an hour more before finally flopping back on her bed and falling asleep.
THE END.